Second Harrison’s sports bar opens, on Kenny

Tom Dodge | DISPATCHBartender Krys Nadook serves a French Dip sandwich at Harrison’s on Kenny, which features sandwiches, hamburgers, salads and pizzas. The owners hope to help make the area a nightlife destination. There is an Average Joe’s Pub and Grill nearby.

The fellows behind Harrison’s on Third in Victorian Village have taken their mix of sports and food to the Northwest Side, near Upper Arlington.

Harrison’s on Kenny opened on June 2 at 4510 Kenny Rd., formerly Brewsky’s Sports Bar.

Co-owners Tim Hollingsworth, Jim Burden and John Neutzling say they’re thrilled to be in the neighborhood.

“It’s close to home. We all live in Upper Arlington,” Neutzling said.

The trio opened Harrison’s on Third five years ago, in the midst of the Great Recession. Despite the slow economy, the sports-themed restaurant and bar has done well. They attribute that to luck, planning and that, “In good times and in bad times, people drink,” Neutzling said with a laugh.

Business was going well enough that they wanted to open another restaurant, and they looked at spaces for about 18 months. They didn’t have their heart set on another Harrison’s.

“We wanted to expand, and we were struggling with names,” Neutzling said. “Then, we thought Harrison’s on Third is doing well, so we should build our brand.”

Although opening in their home environs always has been appealing, it seemed more of a pipe dream than a possibility. It’s hard to find locations in or near the inner-ring suburb, which has limited commercial space, “so we were very excited when this one opened up,” he said.

When the former Brewsky’s became available, they knew they could “fit everything we wanted to do,” Neutzling said.

The menu is like the one at Harrison’s on Third, with an emphasis on pizza, wings, burgers, salads, wraps and sandwiches. The wings are fresh, never frozen, and “We update the menu quarterly so we can make sure we have what customers like,” Neutzling said.

The two restaurants’ menus eventually might diverge, but for now they are the same.

The 5,000-square-foot space is larger than Harrison’s on Third and includes a jukebox, a private party room and a back room with three pool tables that also can be used as a private party space.

The renovation didn’t take long, but it was involved.

“We pretty much gutted the whole place and put in a new bar, new floor, new decor, new TVs, and did a lot of work to update the kitchen,” he said.

Harrison’s on Kenny is near other restaurants, such as the Honey Dip Diner and Iacono’s, but the area is not necessarily known as a nightlife hub.

Neutzling hopes Harrison’s will change that.

An Average Joe’s Pub and Grill opened down the street last year. “Us moving in and Average Joe’s down the street can make the area a destination,” he said. He acknowledged that it’s competition, “ But I think it will bring more people to that area of town.”

As for the grand plan, “We’re just taking it one at a time. We’ll see how things go, but we would like to open a few more,” Neutzling said.

Harrison’s on Kenny is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Off the menu

• Hinkley’s, a Southern-themed fine-dining restaurant, has opened at 318 E. 5th St. in the former Doc Henderson’s spot in Marysville. The restaurant is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, go to www.hinkleysoh.com or call 937-553-9030.

• T.A.T. Ristorante, 1210 S. James Rd., will be closed for vacation through Monday. It will reopen next Tuesday at 11 a.m.